According to a study of 2,765 men and women across the U.S., only 47% of men and 23% of women pleasure themselves at least once a week.

But plenty of research shows that . . . regardless of what your grandmother says . . . pleasuring yourself is GOOD for you. And no, it won't make you go blind.

Here are four scientific reasons you should show yourself some love EVERY DAY.

Reason #1.) Because It's Good for Your Sex Life. According to some doctors, climaxing produces pheromones that make members of the opposite sex subconsciously know you're feeling aroused.
So in other words, the more you pleasure yourself, the more attractive you are to the opposite sex . . . which is the exact opposite of what you'd assume.

Reason #2.) Because It Relieves Stress. In order to climax, you have to completely forget about what's stressing you out. And that alone relieves stress.
But studies have also shown that an area of your brain called the amygdala (--uh-MIG-duh-luh) which is associated with fear and anxiety . . . is less active during sexual activity.

Reason #3.) Because It's Good for Your Long-Term Health. For women, the increased estrogen helps protect against heart disease, osteoporosis, and high cholesterol.
For guys, it might help lower the risk of prostate cancer, which killed 32,000 men in the U.S. alone last year.
A team of researchers in Australia interviewed more than 1,000 healthy men, and 1,000 men suffering from prostate cancer, and asked about their sexual habits throughout life.
According to the results, the more a man climaxes between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely he is to develop prostate cancer.

Reason #4.) Because It Can Prevent the Flu. Psychologists at Wilkes University found that students who climaxed regularly had one-third more immunoglobulin A (--immune-oh-GLOB-you-lin A), which is an antibody that fights off viruses.

And in case you need MORE incentive . . . pleasuring yourself can also help with many types of pain, including arthritis and headaches. And it also acts as a natural antihistamine, so it might help your allergies too.